Lawn or house swing.



PATENTBD NOV. 3, 1903.

J. S. TUTTLE. LAWN 0R HOUSE SWING.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 2, 1903-.

2 SHEETS-611E111 NO MODEL.

nu: nomus PETERS co, PHOTO-LITHQ. wAsnmuIOmn: C.

No. 742,932. 7 PATENTED NOV. '3, 1903.

J. S. TUTTLE. LAWN QR HOUSE SWING. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1903. nomenu. 2 sums-sum 2.

UNIT D STATES Fatented November 3, 1?. 03.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSIAH S. TUTTLE, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO BION S.HUTCHINS, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

LAWN OR HOUSE SWING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,932, dated November3, 1903.

Application filed January 2, 1903. Serial No. 137,610. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSIAH S. TUTTLE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lawn or HouseSwings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wheel-swings; and my object is to produce aswing of this character without suspension arms or hangers of any sortand with all of its parts below the seats which can be operated with aminimum application of power by the occupant.

A further object is to produce a swing of the type outlined which issimple, compact, light, strong, durable, and cheap of construction andwhich can be almost instantly set up in operative position or knockeddown for convenience of storage or transportation.

With these general objects in view the invention consists in certainnovel and peculiar features of construction and organization, ashereinafter described and claimed, and in order that it may be fullyunderstood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a swing embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same with one of theseats and one set of the cross-slats of the seatcarrying frame removed.Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line III III of Fig. 1.Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line IV IV of Fig. 1when the swing is at one extreme of its movement. Fig. 5 is a side Viewof a modified form of the swing.

In the said drawings, where like referencenumerals designatecorresponding parts, a base or trackway frame to rest upon the groundconsists of the parallel side bars 1, braced by cross-bars 2,0rotherwise. In perhaps its simplest form, as exemplified in Fig. 5, bars1 are preferably formed with tracks 3, turned up at opposite sides oftheir centers, as at 4. In the preferred form, however, segmental tracks5, arranged outward of and parallel with bars 1, with their concavededges disposed upwardly, are secured by bolts 6 to said bars,spacing-blocks 7 being interposed to hold them at the required distancefrom the bars. (See Figs. 2, 3, and 4.)

The wheeled frame consists, preferably, of four wheels 8, connected inopposite pairs, one wheel being located on each track 3or 5,longitudinal bars 9, secured at their ends on the wheel-axles, and crossbars or slats 10, connecting the bars 9, the central cross-barpreferably projecting higher than the others, as at 11, to form a braceagainst which the feet of the operator may rest.

The carrying-frame consists, preferably, of longitudinal bars 12,connected near each end by a series of transverse slat-s 13 or otherwise, if desired. This frame in Fig. 5 hasits side bars 12 restingsquarely on the wheels of the wheeled frame, and the lower edges of saidbars may be either perfectly straight, as shown, or may form a pluralityof tracks, like tracks 3, if desired, though I prefer the structure asit is shown.

Mounted on the carrying-frame forward of the series of slats 13, uponwhich one or more children may sit or stand while the swing is inoperation, are seats 14, of any suitable or preferred type, itbeingunderstood, of course, that a cradle, couch, or any other supportwhereon the occupant or occupants may comfortably rest, may besubstituted for the seats, if desired.

The preferred form also embodies crossslats and seats as well as theside bars 12, though in this case the seat-carrying frame is wider thanthe track-frame and is equipped inward of the side bars with tracks 15,corresponding to tracks 5, but inverted with respect'thereto, thesetracks 15 of course occupying the same vertical plane as the othertracks and secured at their ends on bolts 16, carried by said bars 12,spacing-blocks 17 being interposed between said bars and said tracks toprovide a sufficient space between for the freeoperation of wheels 8,and in this connection it should be stated that the principal reason whythe seat-carrying frame is wider than the other is that it may normallyalmost hide the wheels from the view of a person located at one side,said wheels of course being more exposed as the swing attains one of itsextreme positions or the other. (See Fig. 4.) It is obvious, of course,that it would be a simple matter to completely incase the wheels, atleast at the outside. To

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prevent any possibility of lateral dislocation I of the wheels withreference to the tracks, they bear a tongue-and-groove relation, thewheels being grooved, preferably, and the tracks engagingthe same. (SeeFigs. 3 and 4.)

In the operation of the swing the pressure of the seat-occupants feetagainst the crossbrace 11 causes-the seat'carrying frame to move in thedirection opposite to that which the occupant is facing, and thismovement of said frame is attended by movement in the same direction ofthe wheeled frame, but at only half the speed. It will thus be seen thatmovement of the wheeled frame from the position shown in full to theposition shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 5 is attended by likemovement on the part of the seat-carrying frame, the latter moving twicethe distance and at double the speed of the wheeled frame. In thepreferred construction the movement of the frames from the positionshown in full to the position shown in dotted lines is in a plane thatinclines slightly upward. As the above parts attain this position theoperator removes all of the pressure from cross-bar 11, and the pitch ofthe tracks instantly starts the swing on its return, such movement ofcourse not stopping at the position shown in full lines, but continuinguntil the wheels attain the opposite ends of the tracks, after whichgravity forces the swing in the opposite direction.

A single operator by applying pressure on the cross-bar with eachalternate movement of the swing can with but little exertion keep' thelatter in motion. When both seats are filled and children are standingor sitting on the slats 13, an operator on each seat by alternatelyapplying pressure on the cross-brace 11 can operate the swing so easilythat an observer can hardly tell how the power is applied.

The structure shown in Fig. 5 gives a movement that is almosthorizontal, and could be made exactly so by dispensing with the upturnedportions at of the trackway. The structure shown, however, is preferred,as without the use of springs or equivalents the slightupward movementgiven to the wheeled and seat-carrying frames by the upturned ends ofthe tracks tends to arrest the movement of the swing without shock orjar to the occupant and at the same time gives the wheeled frame animpetus in its movement in the opposite direction.

To prevent the seat-carrying frame when formed with its lower or tracksurface horizontal, as shown in Fig. 5, from creeping on the wheels asthe extreme limit of movement in either direction is attained, I providesaid track with depending stop-blocks 18, which contact with certain ofthe wheels at the instant their movement in one direction is completed.

From the above description it will be apparent that any means, whetherworked by the feet or not, whereby power could be simultaneously appliedin opposite directions on the wheeled and seatcarrying frames wouldresult in the proper operation of the swing, though for convenience ofoperation and simplicity and cheapness of construction, as well as forattractiveness of appearance, I prefer to cause such movement byfoot-power.

I have illustrated and described two types of swings that I havepractically tested; but it is to be understood that the invention issusceptible of modification as regards its form, proportion, detailconstruction, and organization without departing from its spirit andscope or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A swing, comprising a trackway, a wheeled frame thereon, a carryingframe formed with tracks which rest upon the wheels of said frame, andmeans to limit each journey or movement of the wheeled frame and give itan impetus toward opposite movement.

2. A swing, comprising a trackway having its tracks turned upward atopposite sides of their centers, a wheeled frame thereon, and acarrying-frame formed with tracks which rest on the wheels of saidframe.

3. A swing, comprising a trackway having itstracks turned upward atopposite sides of their centers, a wheeled frame thereon, and acarrying-frame formed with tracks similar but inverted with respect tothe first-named tracks; said inverted tracks resting on the wheels ofsaid frame.

4. A swing, comprising a trackway, a wheeled frame thereon, means tolimit each journey or movement of said frame and give it an impetustoward opposite movement, a carrying-frame formed with tracks which restupon the wheels of the wheeled frame, and means for checking themovement of the carrying-frame as each wheeled-frame movementterminates.

5. A swing, comprising a trackway, a wheeled frame thereon, a carryingframe formed with tracks which rest upon the wheels of said frame, oneor more seats upon the carrying-frame, and means to limit each journeyor movement of thewheeled frame and give it an impetus toward oppositemovement.

6. A swing, comprising a trackway, consisting of connected side barsprovided externally with tracks, a frame wider than said tracks andprovided internally with tracks in the vertical plane of the first-namedtracks, and provided also with one or more seats, and a wheeled framebridging the space between the side bars of the trackway and providedexternally of said side bars with wheels engaging the tracks thereof andof the seat-carrying frame, and having a tongue-and-groove relation withsaid tracks.

7. A swing, comprising a trackway, consisting of two sets of tracks,awheeled frame bridging thespaoebetween said sets of tracks, give thewheeled frame an impetus toward and having one of its wheels on eachtrack, a opposite movement. [0 carrying-frame having downwardly-disposedIn testimony whereof I affix my signature tracks, corresponding to thefirst-named in the presence of two Witnesses.

tracks and resting upon the wheels of the- JOSIAH S. TUTTLE. Wheeledframe, and means to simultaneously Witnesses: arrest the wheeled frameand carrying-frame H. O. RODGERS,

at the end of each journey or movement and G. Y. THORPE.

